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James 'Buster' Douglas to be at Fight Night at SteelStacks II in Bethlehem

James "Buster" Douglas

Former heavyweight boxing champion James "Buster" Douglas will make an appearance Thursday at Fight Night at SteelStacks II at the ArtsQuest Center at SteelStacks in Bethlehem. Douglas is shown here in 2009 in Reynoldsburg, Ohio, promoting a barbeque cookbook for diabetics that he co-wrote.
(AP File Photo)

Douglas will sign autographs and greet fans with VIP tickets prior to the fights, and will also serve as a commentator with fellow former champ Larry Holmes on Service Electric Cable TV, starting at 7 p.m.

Even when he dreamed of being champion, Douglas said, his place in history by virtue of his stunning defeat of Tyson was the farthest thing from his mind.

"All I ever thought about was the moment I'd have my hands being raised and being announced as the heavyweight champion," he said. "That was a dream come true -- a moment I'll never forget.

"It was something I aspired to be when I became a heavyweight fighter. I had a dream and got a chance to achieve that."

View full sizeLarry Holmes shows off some of the hardware at his restaurant, Champ's Corner, in Easton earlier this year.Express-Times File Photo

Holmes, who ruled the heavyweight division from 1978 to 1985, and Douglas never fought each other. Holmes fought Tyson in January 1988, losing when the fight was stopped in the fourth round.

Douglas said he fought on the undercards of some of Holmes' headline fights and is looking forward to his reconnecting with the Easton Assassin in Douglas' first visit to the Lehigh Valley.

"Larry Holmes has always been one of my favorites," said Douglas, 53, who lives in Columbus, Ohio. "It's an honor to know him. He was a great champion and I'm excited to be doing this event with him. He has always been one of my favorite fighters."

Bout with diabetes

Douglas makes numerous appearances during the year -- and not just on his boxing name.

In 2009, he co-wrote a cookbook, "Buster's Backyard Bar-B-Q," to help people with diabetes, something he battled with after his boxing career was over. He said he's scheduled to do a cooking demonstration next week in Iowa.

"People tell me where they were or how they heard about it," he said of his winning the heavyweight title. "I like hearing stories of how people reacted and where they were when they watched the fight or when they heard about it."

Douglas was 38-6-1 in his career and never recaptured acclaim after losing to Holyfield in October 1990. The heavyweight division isn't what it used to be, he said.

"It's amazing," he said. "You look at the top 10 and it's alphabet soup -- very few Americans. I look at it as an opportunity for an American heavyweight to bring the title back home. It's still a big deal. It provides an opportunity to go and get it done."

Douglas said he likes helping up-and-coming fighters, which is one of the reasons he'll be at the old Bethlehem Steel Corp. site later this week. He enjoys helping to promote fights, raising money for charity and hearing from boxing fans, he said.